Manneken Pis

Manneken Pis is the national symbol of Belgium. Although he only stands two and a half feet tall, his story is legendary. There are many stories about the Manneken Pis and how he came to be the rebellious symbol of Belgium.

One story tells of an infant who was placed in a basket in a tree before a battle to give encouragement. As the opposing forces attacked, the little boy urinated on the troops and they were defeated. Another story tells of an attacking force setting charges in the city walls of Brussels. A little boy came along and urinated on the fuse and foiled the explosion. There are also stories of lost boys, that when found, are in a garden having a pee. And another story tells of a boy who was awoken by a fire and promptly put it out by urinating on it, saving the king's castle in the process.

So whatever story you believe, Manneken Pis has had quite a history. The statue itself was instrumental in the delivery of clean drinking water to Brussels since the 15th century, a model system for the rest of Europe at the time. He also survived the bombardment of 1695. He is resilient, unassuming, and enjoys life in a joyous manner. Which is why we selected him to be the mascot of our frites shop.

We chose Manneken Pis as the symbol for our restaurant as much for his pluck as his ties to Belgium. Like Manneken Pis, we are small, ready to take on anything that comes our way, and don't take life too seriously. We are committed to operating an authentic Belgian style restaurant that is not borne out of some Madison Avenue formula where as much thought goes into the kids meal toy as the main dish. Sure, we could do some things on the cheap, still give the customer a nice experience and pocket the difference. But like Manneken Pis, we are going to let it all hang out, so to speak, and strive to take the high road at every turn. We will not compromise on our ingredients, we will make the frites from fresh, whole russet potatoes, and only cook them a 2nd time after they have been ordered. We make the sauces in house by hand and let them meld overnight for the best possible flavor. We have scoured the Belgian countryside to bring you some of the finest Belgian beers we can find. There are no heat lamps, microwaves, or freezers at Manneken Frites. We, like Manneken Pis, may be small, but we strive to give you the best Belgian experience possible, and we hope you may dare say, like Manneken Pis, legendary.